Cook Islands - Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme

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Cook Islands Finally, we saw the review as both a data collection and an education and advocacy exercise for domestic violence and related issues and this proved accurate. Each interview was almost an awareness raising exercise on domestic violence, CEDAW and related issues. Preliminary findings were that each country had a significant resource base of knowledge and expertise. For example, each had participated in training provided by agencies such as the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre or the United Nations Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) project. This meant that domestic violence was likely perceived under a ‘human rights framework’ in addition to the ‘Safer Pacific Free from Domestic Violence’ framework of the PPDVP. Table 2 shows the main global and regional gender equity commitments and national responses to these. Samoa’s draft Domestic Violence Bill was in circulation at the time of the review. Table 2. Global and regional gender equity commitments CEDAW* Pacific Platform of Action for Women (PPA) SPC** Pacific Plan Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS)*** Millennium Development Goals (UN) Cook Islands 1 st report (2006) X X X Kiribati 1 st report overdue X X X Samoa 1 st & 2 nd report (2005) X X X Tonga Not yet ratified X X X In discussion *Focus on gender equity and human rights. **See especially: Goals 2.1 (Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women) and 2.3 (To eliminate sexual and family violence). *** Initiative 12.5 of the Pacific Plan emphasises a commitment to ratify international and regional human rights conventions, covenants and agreements such as CEDAW. The fieldwork was carried out in two-week blocks, in October and November 2006. 1 Each researcher visited two countries. 2 Because of the geographical spread and remoteness of many islands in each country, the research was conducted predominantly in urban locations or a central island. The findings may not be applicable to rural regions or outer islands. The research required a multi-method strategy. Briefly, the main methods were: • Literature review of published and unpublished research. • Collection and analysis of data recorded by Police, NGOs and other agencies. • Overview of government legislation, policies and practices. • Analysis of media reports of domestic violence (e.g., newspaper reports). • Qualitative methods such as focus groups and in-depth interviews with key informants. • National stakeholder meetings, including review of materials collected. Although we aimed to collect statistical data wherever possible, we anticipated that the information would vary greatly in accessibility, coverage and quality. Qualitative methods were also appropriate, given that a major research focus was identifying attitudes to domestic violence. We recognized that the topic had only recently been acknowledged as a Pacific development issue and that understanding the cultural and social underpinnings of domestic 1 Ethics approval was given by the Victoria University Human Ethics Committee: No 120/2006. 2 The project leader, Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop, went to Samoa and Tonga. Denise Lievore went to the Cook Islands and Kiribati. 4
Cook Islands violence in the four countries required extensive discussions with a broad group of actors. Pacific research highlights that face to face communication is more appropriate and yields richer data than paper and pencil instruments or survey methodology. While we established general guidelines for the research process, data collection methods varied somewhat across the four countries. The methods were finalised after the researchers arrived in the country and based on the advice of local Police and NGO partners. Tables A1 and A2 in Annex A set out the general framework. The four country reports We believed that the term ‘domestic violence’ would be recognised in the four project countries. However, we anticipated that we might find different understandings of what it comprises, and how it should be dealt with, according to differences in the four countries’ socio-cultural values, beliefs and attitudes to do with roles and place, and post-colonial and recent history. We felt that women’s vulnerability to violence in a given country might also vary in terms of factors such as age or urban/rural living. Similarly, we felt that while there were likely to be some commonalities in legislation, policy and practice responses to domestic violence, there would probably also be differences. Given these and other sociocultural and structural differences among the project countries, we concluded that it would be challenging to draw the data together in a reliable and rounded assessment of the extent and nature of domestic violence across the four countries, and the policies and programmes to address it. As a result, the analysis and report comprise four national case studies. The case studies provide a snapshot of social and organisational understandings of and responses to domestic violence at the time of the research. The reports attempt to portray as accurately as possible the views and perceptions of those who participated in the research. Due to the exploratory and largely qualitative nature of the research, we cannot be certain that the views of participants are representative of the wider population. However, there were consistent themes emerging from interviews with individuals from different sectors, particularly in relation to issues such as structural gender inequalities and attitudes to dealing with domestic violence. The findings also tend to concur with previous research or reports from international development agencies, where these have been done. Each country report comprises two main parts with the second part covering two sections. Part 1 has set out the background to the study. Part 2 discusses relevant contextual factors in the specific country. This covers information such as local understandings of gender, family, and community, to the political context at the time of the research. Section 1 of Part 2 covers Police attitudes, policy and practice in relation to domestic violence. The section is organised around the 10 Terms of Reference (TORs) in Table 1. The sub-sections raise points for discussion or further consideration. The information in this section is mainly derived from interviews with Police Officers. Section 2 follows the same format. It covers the second set of 10 TORs, relating to government, NGO, and community attitudes and responses to domestic violence. The information is mainly drawn from interviews with community stakeholders. . 5
Page 1: PACIFIC PREVENTION OF DOMESTIC VIOL
Page 4 and 5: LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Geographi
Page 6 and 7: Cook Islands The main data collecti
Page 8 and 9: Cook Islands As a general statement
Page 11 and 12: Cook Islands PART 1: PACIFIC PREVEN
Page 13: Cook Islands Our approach and metho
Page 17 and 18: Cook Islands • a small number of
Page 19 and 20: Cook Islands SECTION 1: POLICE ATTI
Page 21 and 22: Cook Islands Table 4. Recorded viol
Page 23 and 24: Cook Islands They’re rotated ever
Page 25 and 26: Cook Islands Table 5. Outcomes for
Page 27 and 28: Cook Islands Box 1 Stakeholders’
Page 29 and 30: Cook Islands Community role Some in
Page 31 and 32: Cook Islands Domestic violence is s
Page 33 and 34: Cook Islands As a Policeman, dealin
Page 35 and 36: Cook Islands Police attitudes to tr
Page 37 and 38: Cook Islands The current state of P
Page 39 and 40: Cook Islands • insensitive treatm
Page 41 and 42: Cook Islands Some assessment of the
Page 43 and 44: Cook Islands With groups like PTI t
Page 45 and 46: Cook Islands • ensuring participa
Page 47 and 48: Cook Islands huge tolerance for exc
Page 49 and 50: Cook Islands The current state of l
Page 51 and 52: Cook Islands Discussion I was not a
Page 53 and 54: Cook Islands REFERENCES Anae, M., C
Page 55 and 56: Cook Islands TABLE A2: GOVERNMENT,
Page 57 and 58: Cook Islands 4.40 Plane to Rarotong

Cook Islands - Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme

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